Honk for peace
Published 9:12 am Tuesday, June 5, 2007
By By KATHIE HEMPEL / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Honking horns, thumbs up and waves of support greeted Pax Christi war protesters Saturday.
Passersbys seemed sympathetic to the protest.
The protesters from the local chapter of the Catholic based peace activist group stood in the Donovan Smith Park. Commonly known as the Memorial Park, it is bordered by East Main Street and South 11th Street going in both directions.
Tom Mechtenberg helped organize the event with the members of the local Pax Christi group. He was pleased with the results.
"We plan on meeting here the first Saturday of every month from noon to 1 p.m. If we find that more people want to join in on the protest, we will perhaps decide to do it more often," he said.
The local group has been in existence since just after Memorial Day 2005. Beginning with only 10 members, it continues to meet at Saint Mary's Parish, at 7 p.m. the first Sunday evening of each month.
This protest grew out of Mechtenberg and his wife Mary (Drum) Mechtenberg's desire to increase awareness of the need for the public to stand up for peace and justice.
His wife was pleased with the mainly positive response to the rally.
"I know they can't see all the individual pictures of those who have died in this war so far. I try to let those stopped for the light to get a good look at all the young men and woman who will never come home again," Mrs. Mechtenberg said.
Margaret Dyer has only been a member of the group for a short time. She joined the group to be able to feel as if she is "doing" something.
"While we were out there one fellow said, 'I don't feel sorry for them, nobody felt sorry for me when I was in Viet Nam.' You feel so badly for him," she said.
Prayer, study and action are the principles on which the Pax Christie groups are based. As a group, they study how to follow in the steps of other non-violent activists.
"We try to model our actions on the life example of Jesus. To look at what non-violence means as practiced by Jesus and how that is understood in this day and age. There have been many other practitioners of non-violence in our time: Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Dorothy Day, of our own Catholic experience," Mechtenberg said.
The group is currently studying the book "Personal Non-violence" by Dr. Gerard Vanderhaan. Pax Christi is not restricted to Catholics but is open to all who wish to stand up for peace and justice according to Mechtenberg.
"I think when we call ourselves Christian, we tend to look at dogma and theological truths. We think it should have more to do with a way of behaving before other people. We believe justice means that individuals of whatever status or category of life need to receive equal treatment in every way," he said.
The protest of the war is meant to draw attention to the many innocent people harmed in war. Pax Christi is particularly concerned for the many children who fall victim.
The group is a member of Pax Christi USA. Its literature says, "Pax Christi USA strives to create a world that reflects the Peace of Christ by exploring, articulating and witnessing to the call of Christian non-violence."
The group rejects every form of violence and domination, rejecting war and preparations for war.
Their stated belief is that work for peace begins in ones personal life and then extends to "communities of reflection and action to transform structures of society."